


A New Chapter

by FOREVER_SHERLOCKED



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Eventual Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, F/M, Happy Molly Hooper, Molly Hooper Loves Sherlock Holmes, Post-Episode: s04e03 The Final Problem, Sad Molly Hooper, Sherlock Holmes & Molly Hooper Friendship, Sherlock Holmes Loves Molly Hooper, Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper Fluff, Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27225079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FOREVER_SHERLOCKED/pseuds/FOREVER_SHERLOCKED
Summary: Sherlock stays overnight at his favorite bolt hole, Molly's house, weeks after Sherrinford and them making up. Fluff and deep conversation ensues.
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & Molly Hooper, Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper
Comments: 14
Kudos: 65





	A New Chapter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Juldooz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juldooz/gifts).



“Molly, where’s the chamomile tea?”, Sherlock questioned exasperatedly, shuffling into the kitchen from her bedroom where he had crashed the night before.

Molly peeks above her book, her glasses slightly slipping down her nose. “Sherlock, you should know where everything is by now. You have a categorized sock drawer at Baker Street, yet you can’t remember the one cabinet in my house where my tea is stored?”

His face softens and he pouts, using his puppy dog eyes, silently pleading for her to remind him, just one more time. She chuckles and rolls her eyes.

“The cabinet to the right of the stove, lowest shelf. Remember that.”

Sherlock grins and nods. “Yes, ma’am.” He gets out the tea and steeps it into his mug of boiling water carefully. He can’t help but gaze back over to Molly in all her glory. Fuzzy pajamas and socks, messy bun, no makeup, dark rimmed glasses, and all curled up with her book. A historical romance novel with some mystery tied in, of course.

For the first time, Sherlock can see himself getting used to this, maybe even making it an everyday occurrence. However, as any man would have to, he should start small. Come over just a bit more often, then more, then more, until she realizes she wants him to reside there permanently. After all, this is his favorite bolt hole. Not just because Molly’s home was a place of warmth and comfort, but because Molly had become that to him, herself.

Walking over to the sofa with his mug carefully, he lowers himself down into the cushion beside her, glancing over from time to time between attempting to process the idiotic drabble on the telly. Sherlock bites his lip and realizes it was probably a bit not good, not asking her if she would like some tea too.

“Oh, erm...did you want some as well?”

“Mmh...? Oh, um...sure. If it’s not too much trouble. But if you’re already seated you don’t have to.”

“No, no, I should have asked to start with. It’s not an issue. Here, have this one so it doesn’t go cold.” He hands her his mug gently and she looks up at him softly, a small smile coming to her lips. Placing her book open on her lap, she slowly wraps her hands around the mug to take it, her fingers laying on top of his for a moment. Sherlock locks eyes with her and swears she couldn’t look any more beautiful than she does exactly in this moment. Certain feelings begin to arise in his chest before he pushes them away again.

He clears his throat. “Right...be careful, I filled it a bit too high and I wouldn’t want you to burn yourself. That’s painful.”

Molly grins at him. “Thank you, but I’ve got it. Believe me I know; I’ve burned myself on many occasions. I’m pretty clumsy, as you probably know.”

“Just a bit”, he smiles and winks, causing a pink flush to rush to her cheeks. Sherlock looks her over for a moment before suavely making strides towards the kitchen, making another mug of tea, all the while keeping his eyes on her. She returns her eyes to her book, but glances at him through the corners of them every so often, feeling his stare on her.

He makes his tea and returns to his seat as she takes a small sip of hers, smiling gently. “Are you alright, Sherlock? You never did tell me why you needed to stay here so urgently last night. Fight with John?”

“What? Oh, no. No it was just...something else. Nothing to worry yourself with.”

“Oh well...okay.”

Sherlock sips his tea and sighs, turning towards her slightly. “Baker Street can get...too quiet. You would think that I would enjoy that all the time to think, because of well...you know how I am. However, sometimes it does the opposite of help and I can nearly feel it slowly driving me mad. So I need...some sort of company.”

Molly nods understandingly. “I’m sure John wouldn’t mind you dropping by either if you really needed to, Sherlock.”

“I don’t want John, though...”

“Oh...”, Molly falls silent for a moment. “So you mean...”

“As I said before, I prefer when you’re yourself, I don’t ever need you to be John.”

Molly blushes and looks down into her mug a bit. “Thank you.”

“I mean it. I-...have been learning slowly how to be a better person, or at least I think I have, and I’ve come to realize that I truly enjoy spending time with you. There is a reason this is my favorite bolt hole, and it has been for years. I just needed to grow a bit to see the reason why.”

“And that reason would be?”, Molly looks at him hopefully, a little sparkle in her brown eyes.

Sherlock looks out of his element and stays silent for a moment before he proceeds. “Well...I...it’s hard to explain.”

“It’s alright, don’t worry about it.”

“No, you deserve an explanation, I’ve taken up a lot of your time as of late and I know I’m probably a bit of a burden.”

“You’re not a burden, but go on...”

He ruffles his hair in frustration and groans. “I just...I...when I saw the coffin Eurus had in Sherrinford and realized it was for you, I couldn’t even bear the thought of you ever being in one because of me. Because she was right...she knew. All these complicated emotions...”

“Knew what, Sherlock?” Molly gently places her hand, hot from her tea mug, atop his.

His response is barely a whisper. “That it’s true...it’s always been true.” He lowly raises his gaze to look into her eyes. She tears up slightly and averts her own gaze, nervously setting her sight on the hem of her t-shirt.

“Sherlock, that’s not funny.”

“What? No, I- I’m not trying to be funny, I’m not trying to be mean; Molly, I’m not making fun of you. I mean it now, and I meant it then.”

She sniffles and look up at him again, despair over her own feelings filling her eyes. “How, after all this time and...and when I’m looking like this...”

“Because I’m an idiot. What I said a couple years ago in John’s wedding speech was true as well. I’m the most obnoxious arsehole anyone could have the misfortune to meet. I am dismissive of the virtuous, unaware of the beautiful, and uncomprehending in the face of the happy. Or rather...I was, I-...used to be, more than I am currently. For the record, you are beautiful, Molly. It took a lot for me to get to this point, and I know for a fact that you are the one who helped most to get me here. I am more human because of you, maybe not close to being an ordinary human but you know what I mean. Also because you never let me forget when I am in the wrong. I never like to admit I’m wrong.”

Molly giggles slightly and nods. “Yes, I know that.”

“My point is...I do.”

“You do...”, she motions him to go on and he groans.

“You’re not going to let me go without saying it are you?”

“Hey, you started this conversation, so you need to end it.”

“Fair enough. Alright...but first I need you to remember that I am no ordinary man and that as such, I may not react to things the way you are prone to seeing men react to sentimental things, which means that I-”

Sherlock is cut off before he can finish his rambling by a soft and delicate kiss from Molly on the corner of his mouth, quite mirroring the way he had years ago when he had found out she was engaged. Longing, yet hesitant. Wanting, yet understanding. When she pulls away and smiles gently, he only stares, nearly going into what people love to call his “processing mode”.

“I know you, Sherlock. You don’t need to explain yourself to me. I think a lot of times you forget that. I don’t need an explanation and I don’t expect any promises. I only want the truth, and we can go from there.”

Sherlock nods and looks at his hands, now folded in his lap. “You’re right. You do know me, and I have nothing to be wary of because I know you too. You deserve the truth, so here it is. I love you, Molly Hooper. /However/, I don’t quite know what that means for me; I just know that I feel more comforted and more ordinary in your presence. That I look at you in a different light now, and I can see what an invaluable asset and friend and person you are to me. Someone who I could never bear to lose. And despite not being any other ordinary man, I seethe when I see another man with you now, even more so than I had before. In my deranged heart, I suppose you’ve always sort of been mine. But in my head, I can’t afford to take that risk. I have always put logic and caution before sentiment and it always worked...until Eurus. She forced me to see that sometimes, you need sentiment to save them. That’s why it was so difficult for me. Her entire game was to prove to me that I was broken by the traumatic loss of my very first friend, but that emotional context will always get to me, no matter how cold and calculating and machinelike I try to be.”

Molly sets her mug down and pats her lap. Sherlock sighs and lies down, placing his head on her lap and looking up at her as she strokes his curls gently. “Like I said, I don’t have any expectations Sherlock, I just need honesty. That’s all. I love you too, and I understand why you’re so hesitant to be close to people. I of all people understand that, especially after Jim. Your job is dangerous, yes. But the one thing you aren’t seeing is that love is a risk for everyone, not just extraordinary people like yourself. Love always carries a risk. Nobody wants to see someone they care about get hurt. Sherlock, there are men and women of all different professions and all different cultures who take incredible risks for love every single day. That’s just the fine print so to speak, but it’s always worth it to find happiness and contentment while you have it. Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic, but...I would take any risk to be happy and in love with someone willing to take the risk as well. Plus, I cut up the dead for a living, I may be clumsy, but I don’t scare too easily. Give me some credit, I broke up with the Napoleon of Crime, and he still overlooked me for the most part.”

Sherlock grins and chuckles deeply, his baritone voice reverberating in his chest and through to his shoulders which rest upon her leg as well. He looks up at her and sighs deeply. “Yes you did, didn’t you. You are quite extraordinary yourself, you know.”

“I know”, she beams and crinkles her nose cutely, pushing up her glasses.

“So...I suppose if I were to decide that I want to go about taking a dangerous risk, I would most likely start with a proper kiss. Honestly, I am quite sick of my fake unimpressed Janine kisses being the only memory I’ve had of the craft. Well, that I can remember anyway. I’m sure I kissed someone in Uni, but I’ve deleted it. Probably for good reason.”

Molly snorts and rolls her eyes. “Ugh, I wanted to just pry Janine away from you.”

“I know, if looks could kill, you would’ve. Even with Tom I could see you throwing daggers at her at John’s wedding. Never really saw you as the jealous type, Molly.”

“Shut up!”

“Shut me up”, he challenges, smirking arrogantly.

Molly smirks as Sherlock sits up slightly, cupping his cheeks and finally bringing their lips together. She guides him slowly and closes her eyes, adrenaline pumping through her veins. He definitely was inexperienced, and clearly Janine hadn’t bothered to tell him his kisses were rubbish at first, but at this Molly is thrilled. She giggles softly and pulls away as Sherlock turns a shade of red she has never seen before.

“I suppose I’m not very good. Nothing like your fantasies, eh? Maybe they should have stayed that way.”

This time it’s Molly’s turn to blush deeply. “Sherlock, I’m really not fussed. In fact, this just means we get to practice more.”

“Ohhh...yes yes, that’s...that’s a good thing. We should um...we should do that.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Sherlock smiles and cradles her head, his large hands spanning across nearly it’s entirety as he captures her lips once more. He catalogues different techniques in his mind palace each time as she guides him, and learns the ways to kiss her so that she makes delicious noises for him.

They practice quite frequently that day, and it turns out that Sherlock was determined to soak up as much knowledge as he could on the subject, as well as some very detailed connecting subjects, which stretched into the night. Molly had to pry him away from his phone and let him know that the sun had gone down hours ago, which led him to deciding that he “must” stay the night again. This of course ended up working pretty well, because he realizes that if he chose, he could put some of his newfound knowledge to the test in the bedroom. Because Molly was right. Love is always a risk, his job will always be dangerous, and sometimes, even “high functioning sociopaths” need someone to cuddle up with at night...and more.


End file.
